Drying machine



INVENTORS:

T. ALLsoP ET Al.

DRYING MACHINE 'Filed Aug. 11, 1920 Wler( 31255010,

Afro/wm.

Sept. 4, 1923.

Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

UNITED sr-Ares PATENT ortica.; I

' rPHoMAs ALLsoP AND WALTER W. sIBsoN, or PIII1.,.AI3ELPIIIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoRs fro THE PHILAnnLPrIIA naYINe MACHINERY COMPANY, CPPIIILA-` LELPHIA,.PENNsYLvANIA, A CORPORATION CP PENNSYLVANIA. I

DRYING MACHINE.

`j.Application ledAugust 1.1, y19%. Serial. No. 402,841.

ported upon trays, such for example as chemical products, vegetables, fruits, etc.

The object of our invention isthe. attainl.. ment of uniform distribution ofthe vdrying medium in and :about the trays, so that even drying of the supported materials may be- One advantage accordingly accomplished. of our invention is the possibility of dispensing with any ing such distribution of the drying medium by relegating this function entirely to the trays themselves." This we 1accomplish by so arranging the trays as toestablisha series of intervening channels through which,l the flow of the drying medium divides evenly into as many .dierent streams whilev propelled by suitable circulating means tion which follows. u K p v Referring to the drawings, Fig. I is afront elevation of a drying machine convenientlyl embodying our invention, one of the doors ofthe structure having been shownl open soas to expose certain details ofthe interior.`

Fig. II is a cross sectional view'through the machine, taken as indicated by the line II-II in Fig. I. The drying machine herein illustrated is in the form of an enclosure l having, in general,v as shown in Fig. Il, a rectangular cross sectional configurationk except for the slope formed by. an inclined roof por-v tion 2, which .serves a purpose explained hereinafter. At the level of the juncture between the inclined'roof portion 2 and the front wall 3, and about lat the top ofx or above the opening for the doorin the wall 3 hereinafter described, a horizontal I.diaphragm 4t extends across the interior of the enclosure and subdivides -the same into a in Philadelphia, in the special means for effect',

6, which serves as a by-pass or return conduit for -an air circulatory course `within the structure. This passage 6 communicates with the front and rear ends' of lthe drying chamber through openings 7 and 8 respec.- tively. The diaphragm 4, it will be noted, terminates short of the front and rear walls of the enclosure, thus leaving the communi- V cation openings 7 and 8 just referred'v to.

The interior of the drying Chamber 5 ac-y commodates a multiplicity of khorizontal trays l0, adapted to support the materia-ls to be dried. These traysare disposed in relative superimposition, and suitably separated from one another to afford intervening'fhorizcntal channelsfor the passage ofthedry-v ing medium, so that thelatter may readilyimpinge upon the materialsl on the trays.

' iastate drying chamber 5, and an auxiliarypassage ALLsor and y In practice, it is preferable'to have thetrays,

so mountedas, to be capable of being readily removed or interchanged, either while charging oremptyingthe machine@ To this'A end, the trays are sustained by oppositely. facing columnar racks comprising slide-Al ways formed of angle irons 1l, which arel fixed to uprights 12, '13 of the'structural frame of .the machine.- By using one or l more intermediate uprights' such as repre-r ()ther advantages of our invention. will. become apparent from the detailed descrip-V sented at 13,' a numberof pairs of oppositely facingcooperating columnar trayracks are provided, said" racks being individually accessible from the exterior through doors. la

atv the. front ofthe machine. `Obviously,this i which the gir may iow into and outlofthe intervals Ybetween the several trays. "These flow spaces, it will be noted, are coordinated with the communication openings 7 and` 8 between the drying chamber 5 and the auxiliary passage 6. The air within .thev en. closure. is heated. by. a bank of pipe; co-ils 20" preferably located in the v{iow space "17 in therearzof the drying chamber.

Circulation ol the air is effected by a rotary tain 2l, which, in the instance shown, is disposed within a circular opening Q2 a vertical partition 23 spanning the auriliarv passage 6'. The fan is fixed upon ay shaft Q5 journalled in bearings 26, 2i' and is adapted to be driven by a pulley 28 attached upon one end of the shaft. y

The course oi' the air circulation within the enclosure created by rotation ot the fan 2l, is clearly indicated by the arrows in Fig. ll; ln traversing the vdrying chamber, they flow is obliged, by reason of the arrangement of the' trays hereinbefore described, to divide r' evenlv' into a number ot horizontal streams,

with the result that in passing between the trays it impinges uniformly upon the materials on the trays. The sloping wall 2 serves to facilitate reversal of the direction of flow as the air passes through the aumliary subdivision 6 of the enclosure. A false ioor 29with a subjacent curt-ainwall closes oft the lower unused portion of the enclosure thereby eliminating what. would otherwise be adead air region and concentrating the fiow' within the yspace occupied bythe trays.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:`

l'. A drying machine comprising an enclosure with an opening in front for insertion and `removal of sliding trays, and a horizontal diaphragm subdividing the enclosure into a drying chamber and an auxiliary passage; a multiplicity of superposed drying` trays in said chamber spaced apart for circulation of drying medium between them, with flow spaces" at front and rear of the enclosure;and means torcirculatmg' air in the enclosure through said drying chamber and back 'through said auxiliary passage.

2. A drying machine comprising an enclosure with an opening in front for insertion and removal of sliding trays, and a horizontal diaphragm subdividing the enclosure into a drying chamber and an auxiliary passage; racks in said chamber tor sustaining a4 multiplicity of superposed drying trays spaced apart for circulation ot drying medium between them, and stops for so de'terming the position of the trays on the racks as to leave flow spaces at front and r'ear of the' enclosure; and means in said auxiliary passage for circulating air in the enclosure through said'drying chamber and back throughv said passage.

3. A drying machine comprising an enclosure with an opening in front for insertion and removal of sliding trays, and a horizontal diaphragm above said opening subdividing the enclosure into a drying chamber and an auxiliaryV passage; racks in said chamber' for sustaining a multiplicity of superposeddrying trays spaced apa-rt for ,circulation of drying medium between them,

to afford communication openings between f the drying chamber andthe auxiliary re turn passage; in combination with raclrs for sustaining a multiplicity ol slidable,

horizontal supporting trays in superimposed relation and at the same timespaced apart. to permit circulation of the drying medium therebetween; stops for so determining the position of the trays as to leave, at opposite ends ofthe drying chamber, flow spaces by way of which the drying'medium may passv into and out of the intervals between the trays, said spaces being'coordina-ted with the aforesaid communication openings" which connect the drying chamber and the auxiliary return passage; and means tor' circulating the air within the enclosure.

5. A drying machine in the form of an enclosure comprising a: drying chamber; raclrs for sustaining a multiplicity of slid able, horizontal supporting trays in super'- imposed relation and at the same time spaced apart to permit circulation of the drying` medium therebetween; stops tor so determining the po'sition'o'f` the trays vas lto leave at opposite endsl oii'thel drying cham-v ber, iowspaces by way of'wh'ich the drying medium' may pass 'into' andout ot the intervals between the' supportingtrays; abank ot' heating coils located in one of said flowspaces; an auxiliary' passage connecting the low'spaces atl opposite ends of the drying chamber and adapted to serve as a' return duct for an air circulatory course within the enclosure; and: means for circulating the air within the enclosure'. Y

G. A dryingmachine in the form of'an enclosure subdivided by a horizontal diaphragm intoa drying'chamber, and an a-uXiL iary passage connecting the ront'afnd back portion of the drying chamber, said pas# sage serving as a return ductf'for' an air: circulatory course within the enclosure; incombination with racks for'. sustaining amultiplicity of slidable, horizontal trays i`n"superimposed relation within the drying:k chainiber and at the same'f timel spaced apart.l to permit` circulationrv ofV the drying: medium through the interveninghorizontal channels thus established; stops for so determining the position of the trays as to leave at opposite ends of the drying chamber flow spaces by way of which the drying medium may pass into and out of the intervals between the supporting trays; heating coils located in the flow space at the rear of the drying chamber; and means for circulating the air in the enclosure through the drying chamber and back through the aforesaid passage.

7. A drying machine comprising an enclosure with a compartment therein for the material to be dried, and a passage directly connecting the top of said compartment with a side thereof; means in said compartment for supporting material to be dried in horizontal tiers; and means for circulating air in said enclosure, with flow either way through said compartment and return through said passage.

8. A drying machine comprising an inclosure divided to form a drying chamber and a return air passage, one side of the inclosure being open, guides in the drying compartment whereby trays may be inserted through the open side and supported upon the guides and located substantially centrally of the chamber to form vertical passages at the front and rear ends or" the trays, and means for circulating air between the trays, around the ends and through the return passage.

9. A drying machine comprising an inclosure divided to form a drying compartment and a return passage, means for supporting a series ot trays to provide vertical air passages at either end, a bank of heating coils in one of said vertical passages adjacent to one of the ends of the trays, and` means for circulating air therein and for drawing the air along the heated passage, through the coils between the trays and with their ends in spaced relation to the sides of the inclosure to form vertical air passages, a heating means in one lof said passages, and means for circulating air within the inclosure and between the trays.

11. A drying machine comprising a casing having a slanting top wall forming a low front wall and a high back wall, a horizontal partition within the casing defining a lower drying chamber and an upper return air passage, a series of horizontal guides in the drying chamber, trays supported on the guides of a length to provide vertical spaces between the ends of the trays and the walls of the casing, a bank of heating coils in one of said passages, aA

vertical partition in the upper return air passage, and a tan located in said opening to circulate the air through the heating coils, between the trays, around the ends of the latter, through the air passage, along the slanting top wall and through said opening in the order named.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 10th day of August, 1920.

THOMAS ALLSOP. WALTER W. SIBSON.

TWitnesses: p

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON. 

